junk-gypsies_store-article2_h

Friends, family and community members came out to support the opening of Junk Gypsy, the boutique that brings junk and joy to Round Top, Texas.

Photo by: Production Company

Production Company

Friends, family and community members came out to support the opening of Junk Gypsy, the boutique that brings junk and joy to Round Top, Texas.

By:
Jennifer Frazier

The brainchild of sisters Amie and Jolie Sikes, stars of the hit television show Junk Gypsies, this store is all about bright colors, country music on the radio, bringing kids to work and selling items that "tell a story," says Jolie. Everything from vintage advertising signs and rock-n-roll posters to animal horns and turquoise jewelry make this a one-stop-shop for all things eclectic.

junk-gypsies_store-article1_h

The Junk Gypsy boutique is packed full of eclectic goods, from Western blankets and custom printed pillows to vintage signs and trendy dream catchers - and lots of glitter.

Photo by: Production Company

Production Company

The Junk Gypsy boutique is packed full of eclectic goods, from Western blankets and custom printed pillows to vintage signs and trendy dream catchers - and lots of glitter.

Items in Junk Gypsy represent the favorite things of Jolie and Amie, as well as their mom Janie, from whom they inherited their junk passion. Shoppers find a ton of Junk Gypsy designs on t-shirts, pillows, children’s clothing, drink cozies and candles. It’s these designs, like the ever-popular "Mama Tried" t-shirt, that have attracted celebrities like Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crowe to wear their fashions. From $1 trinkets to $3,000 project items these junkers have made, the store offers something for everyone, and any budget. But even if you’re not in the market for a new outfit, pair of cowboy boots or vintage chandelier, you’ll still want to experience the magic and wanderlust that is Junk Gypsy.

Putting Down Roots

While opening a retail store was a no brainer, it wasn’t something that this dynamic design-and-DIY duo completed overnight. In fact, from start to finish, the entire process took about a decade.

"We started realizing we really wanted to open a store after the first few years of us junking and traveling. We kept seeing the same customers from event to event and they became quite loyal and passionate lovers of all things Junk Gypsy," Jolie explains. "Amie and I realized that it would be a dream to have a home base of sorts — a place where people could gather and come to experience the full breadth of Junk Gypsy."

Opened in October 2013, Amie admits it took "forever to open the store." Jolie says, "Well, it took us a long time to put down our gypsy roots." Thankfully now that the Junk Gypsy roots are growing deep in Round Top, the girls, along with their families, have decided this was the best move ever. And they’ve never looked back.

Like every project they take on, they started their plan with a piece of paper and a pen and brainstormed what they wanted in a store. "Almost everything in the store is constructed from salvage materials: the corbels, the ceiling, the beadboard in the entry, all of the lighting, the doors, the old sinks in the bathrooms. Everything has a story, which is why I call our store a sanctuary of junk," Jolie says.

Amie agrees, ""It’s a temple of junk. To us, the store feels sacred. We’re part museum. Some of the stuff that decorates the store, we’d never sell."

junk-gypsies_store-article3_h

This handmade sign was displayed at the Junk Gypsy-designed wedding of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. While shoppers can buy many vintage-looking signs at the Junk Gypsy store, this one is not for sale.

Photo by: Matt Blair

Matt Blair

This handmade sign was displayed at the Junk Gypsy-designed wedding of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. While shoppers can buy many vintage-looking signs at the Junk Gypsy store, this one is not for sale.

One such item is a sign that hangs on the walls that reads "The Sheltons." It’s the very piece that hung at pals Miranda and Blake’s wedding, a superstar event that the Junk Gypsies designed. The street sign from the town where they grew up, Overton, Texas, also hangs on the wall.

Yes, Junk Gypsy is a boutique. But as the many loyal customers and fans who travel from all of the country to visit Junk Gypsy know, it’s so much more.